First reported by CityRealty, Oxford Properties Group filed a building permit application yesterday to construct a 588,000-square-foot commercial addition to the St. John’s Terminal building in Hudson Square, a property they acquired in January. As 6sqft previously reported, architecture firm COOKFOX will helm the conversion and it is expected that Google will buy or lease the building, which is projected to be finished in 2022. If Google sticks to this plan — in addition to their forthcoming expansions at Pier 57 and Chelsea Market — the tech giant would double their employee force in the area to roughly 20,000. (This announcement follows that of Amazon’s impending expansion at a similar scale in Long Island City.)

Construction work is likely to begin soon. The project will involve a gut renovation of the existing building and the addition of eight new floors that will nearly triple the structure’s height from 80 to 232 feet high. Oxford is seeking to preserve the first three floors of the old structure and incorporate them into the 1.3 million square foot, 12-floor office building.

COOKFOX has been retained as the design architects while Adamson Associates will serve as the executive architects. Newly released renderings depict a broad, glass and metal block with floor-to-ceiling windows — a “groundscraper” structure. The original railroad tracks will remain visible throughout the building and the removal of the overpass covering Houston Street will reveal the railbeds in section. This removal, which will be part of the project’s first phase, aims to open up the street and create a better connection between the neighborhood and waterfront. The future office spaces will take up 400 linear feet of unobstructed Hudson River views, which will be complemented by many outdoor spaces built into the building, including a landscaped rooftop and terraces.

“St. John’s Terminal once formed the end of The High Line and our design will preserve the history and authenticity of this important piece of rail infrastructure that once connected the world to New York City,” commented Rick Cook, Founding Partner at COOKFOX. “By opening the site with the removal of the overpass and incorporating the rail beds, we’re connecting the building with the neighborhood, and at the same time creating a workplace that is connected with nature.”